All That Matters: One Shot
by mediaocrity4
Summary: Nova Wukong is the twelve your old daughter of Blake and Sun, torn between her uncontrollable emotions and disappointment, and the love she has for her troubled parents.


**AN: This is a one-shot that will lead into my next mini-story after the current arc of RWBYond Home. I'm writing this now as a birthday present for my friend Kitty Kirishima. This is in continuity with RWBYond, taking place in the same general time frame as The Rose House (between RWBYond War and RWBYond Generations). It's also topical with the Adam short just now coming out.**

All That Matters

People around my age tend to have it good. On paper, so do I. I have a loving and supportive father. I have some good friends. My mom….at least makes a lot of money. One of the strongest fighters in the world takes time out of her life to help train me.

And all the kids in Vacuo have the same goal, or at least the same role model. It's funny. We all talk about Vacuo Pride and the importance of strength out here in the desert; but the truth is, all the kids want to be Ruby Rose, or Ruby Rose-Arc depending on who you're asking.

But these kids don't stand a chance. For them, Mrs. Ruby is no different than a character made up for comics or cartoons. For me, she's practically family. That huntress I mentioned earlier, the one that trains me, that's Yang Xiao Long, Mrs. Ruby's sister. They were both on a team with my mom throughout the war. Those friends I mentioned, well one of them is Citrine Rose, Mrs. Ruby's oldest daughter.

I'm closer to Mrs. Ruby than any of the other kids in Vacuo. They're all jealous of me. That's why a few of them always try to piss me off by bringing up the things I don't like about myself. Namely, my mother.

"Look at the stray cat." Apollo says as he pulls on my tail.

"I went to the big soccer game yesterday." Another kid laughs. "She scored the first goal, looked to the stands and started crying. She cost our school the game because of it." I freeze up at the memory. I squeeze my eyes shut.

"Crybaby, crybaby!" They tease. It was supposed to be my first big game. And I was the first to score. And she couldn't be bothered showing up.

"Look, she's crying again." Apollo says. "What's the matter Stray Cat? Your mommy not come home again."

"She's busy." My voice is small, and the words are from my dad. That's always the excuse. "She's doing a very important mission." I try to wipe the tears from my eyes. "She doesn't have time for kid stuff."

"Maybe she just doesn't care about you." Apollo said as he pulled on my tail. I snapped. The next thing I know, he's on the ground with a broken nose. Blood, his blood, is on my fist. And his two friends tackle me. I kick one of them in the face and throw the other one off.

I roll to my feet and slug one of them in the face. The other tries to grab me from behind. I slam the back of my head into his face, breaking the hold.

I pick my backpack up and use it as a weapon to pummel Apollo. As soon as he hits the ground, I throw it at one of the other kids. I kick the third one in the face. All three of them are down. I fall over from the poorly implemented kick and fall on top of Apollo. He punches me in the face, stunning me.

He kicks me off and stands up. He then starts kicking me in the stomach. My aura begins to crack from the beating. His two friends join in. They hold me down and kick me until my aura breaks.

"That's what you get, freak." Apollo says.

I'm not done yet. As soon as they start backing off, I push forward, headbutting Apollo's crotch. One of his friends grabs me and the other tries punching my stomach. I jump up, kicking one in the face and throwing the other one into him. Apollo runs up and punches me. I spit blood as one of my teeth comes loose. He then tackles me and tries choking me. I push his hands up and bite down on his hand.

He screams in pain as I bite a small chunk of flesh from his appendage. I tooth breaks free into his hand and I tackle him to the ground. One of his friends got back up and is rushing towards me. He hit me in the back of my head and I elbow him in the balls, knocking him down.

But that sent me over the edge. I start slamming both my fist's into Apollo's face. I don't stop until long after his face is bloody and swollen. It took an adult intervention to finally stop me. I feel her cold grasp on my wrist.

"That's enough!" Yang shouts as she pulls me off him.

"Let me go!" I scream as I fight against her.

"She started it." One of the bullies pointed out.

"Three boys against a girl, seems really fair." Yang says. "Now get lost and get that boy to his parents. I have half a mind to scold all of you." The entire time I didn't stop fighting.

"Come back here you cowards!" I scream as they run away.

"It's over, you won." Yang says as she tightens her grip. "You need to calm down."

"They started it! They pulled my tail and called me crybaby." Blood and tears trickle down my face. She picks me up and sits me onj a dumpster in the nearest alleyway.

"Let me look." Yang says.

"Don't touch me!" I try fighting her hands away.

"You're bleeding."

"I'll be fine."

"NOVA WUKONG you will cut this out this instant!" Yang shouts. My face tightens up in a hateful scowl. "If you were my daughter…."

"Well I'm NOT!" I shout back. "Even if you want me to be." I sniff and wipe my nose.

"What has gotten into you?" Yang sighs.

"How did you know where I was at?" I ignore her question.

"I'm an Arbiter sweetie. I always know." She smiles. But that smile only worsens my mood.

"An Arbiter huh….so does my mom always know where I'm at?" I look down.

"She does." Yang says with confidence. "She thinks she's the only one who can do what she's doing and that if she stops, the world will end. But she thinks about you every day, every hour. It's one of the reasons I'm always coming around." She kisses the top of my head.

"She should be the one here. You shouldn't have to check up on me and dad for her." I say as she puts an ice crystal on my face.

"But that's just the way it is." Yang says. "I love you mother to death, and you and your father. I've taken it upon myself to watch over you." The answer didn't satisfy me. In all twelve years of my life, I had yet to get a satisfying answer as to why my mom was always working but Yang wasn't. Why couldn't Yang do the missions and my mom come home more often? "Let's get you back home."

We walk to my house in complete silence. The apartment is modest, with only two bedrooms. My parents bought it shortly after the war. The kitchen, living room, and dining room were all actually one big room. The only thing that served as a border between the three areas is the size of the carpet.

"So, how was school?" Dad says as he looks back at me. "Nova Wukong!" His concern makes me flinch. "What the hell happened?"

"I had to break up a fight between her and three boys." Yang says.

"They deserved it." I say.

"This is the third time this month Nova." Dad scolds. "Go to your room and do your homework."

"But…." I protest.

"We'll talk about this later!" He shouted.

I grab my backpack and go to my room. I grab my pillow and scream all my frustration out. Why does Yang train me? What's the point in knowing how to fight if I'm going to get scolded for defending myself? Was I supposed to just let that jerk pull on my tail? Doesn't he know what that feels like?

When I'm out of breath, I stare at one of the few pictures on my wall. It's of Mrs. Ruby and her old team. It's a poster that was commemorating ten years of peace. It's been eighteen years since the Grimm War ended. Team RWBY were on the frontlines of the conflict. Mrs. Ruby had bested Cinder Fall, lead the fight against the Grimm King and was the last person standing against Salem in that final day of the war.

"I'll lecture her about picking her fights later." I could hear Yang and my Dad talking.

"You've done enough." Dad said.

"I've taken care of her, just like I do my nieces." Yang said. "But it's clear she is just as impatient and brash as I was at that age. I lashed out like that everytime someone so much as touched my hair or looked at Ruby wrong."

"But she's not you, or your daughter." Dad said. "I'll take care of her."

"Summer wasn't my birth mom either. But that little girl has power and a temper and needs someone who can really help her control it. You and Blake are too close to her."

"Ha." I gasp as if it was a joke.

"I love Nova. And I want to be there the same way that Summer and Qrow were there for me. Especially Qrow. I don't want to replace Blake."

"Could have fooled me." Dad says.

"Sun, that is not cool. You know how Blake and I both feel."

"Well, what about how I feel, knowing my wife is out there looking for any excuse to get herself killed."

"You know that's not the case!" Yang shouts. "You know what's at stake. The three of us agreed twelve years ago. Blake's the only one who can get close to them. I'm the only one that can divide my time between you and her. You're the one who has to raise Nova."

"Exactly." He says. "I'm the one who raises Nova. If it were up to me she'd stay home and be safe like a sensible young lady."

My vision becomes violet with anger at that. I punch the poster on my wall. They must have heard me because they stopped their conversation. I hear a knock on my door but I ignore it. Instead I open up my window and jump down to the street below.

I run. I run to the center of town. I see Shade Academy, my destination, just out of reach. That's what I wanted to be. Despite all my dad's protests, I wanted to be a huntress more than anything. I didn't want to be just another hero either. I wanted to be the best. I wanted to be just like Mrs. Ruby. Maybe then, when I'm that strong, I can make sure my mom, and others like her, don't have to go out on missions all the time.

I didn't blame Mrs. Ruby at all. She had four kids of her own and STILL manages to be there for all of them while taking the most dangerous and cataclysmic missions available. One time an iceberg shattered and caused a tsunami. Mrs. Ruby was there in plenty of time to save every single person, stop the tidal wave, prevent most of the property damage and still had time to flash her signature smile. My mom could never hope to hold a candle to her.

Shade Academy is among the largest buildings in Vacuo. Which was doubly impressive since Vacuo covers the largest amount of area of any city in Remnant. Built on top of an oasis and an underground river that fuels the city. Not a single area of the city was wasteful.

The thing that sucks the most about Vacuo is the lack of trees. I nearly cried the first time I was taken to Patch. Even though that island is over eighty percent farmland with only ten percent being a forested area, it still seemed wild and untamed compared to Vacuo. It was beautiful.

Still, I liked climbing and the lack of trees made that really hard. So instead, I climbed rock faces and buildings. It helps me relax. So, I climb Shade Academy. I have to take multiple breaks to catch my breath and relax my muscles. When I make it to the top, I'm completely soaked in sweat.

I look around from the spire while I relax. The sun is beginning to set. The wind starts piercing through my sweaty body. I carefully hang one foot off the edge of the domed top. I want to jump. I don't want to die or get hurt, I just crave the feeling of wind across my entire body. I want to fly, like Mrs. Ruby flies. But I know I can't, not yet.

I take a heavy sigh as I sit down, alone. I curl up into a ball and let myself cry. I wanted my mom. I wanted her to wrap her arms around me and stroke my hair while she sings to me the way I did when I was younger. I wanted her back almost as much as I wanted to be a hero.

It's only gotten worse. This feeling. These emotions are growing harder and harder to control. I don't want to do the things I do but I do them anyway. I want her back. That's how it started. The first time I got in a fight, she rushed back home to scold me. The second time I got in a fight, I got beat up really bad and broke my arm. When I woke up, she was at my side in the hospital room.

Then in my third fight, she came back a week later. After that, she stopped coming because of my fights. So I tried getting myself hurt. Maybe that was the trick. It worked too, for a short time. Nothing I did worked now. The only thought was to run away. I had thought about it a few times. I could pack my things and journey to the east, towards Vale and Patch. I know Mrs. Ruby would let me stay with her for a short time before sending me back home. Maybe she could even get my mother to come home, by force if need be, if I begged her to. But that seemed dumb. I'd just as well cut out the middleman, call her or Citrine up and ask to stay there for a while.

"Young Lady." A gravelly voice rides in on the winds and the sands. I looked back and saw the Headmaster of Shade Academy, Suna Gull. "What brings you here?"

"None of your business." I mutter. Headmaster Gull nods in agreement.

"I won't push an answer out of you." He said. "But I must advise you refrain from scaling such tall buildings." With a twirl of his fingers, he surrounds me in sand.

"Let me go!" I try fighting it.

"Out of the question." His sands lift me up and carry us both down to the ground. I try to fight it all the way down, even though it actually feels kinda cool. He looks me over as he dispels his sand. "Nova."

"You know who I am?" I ask as my eyes widen. I know him because he's famous. But why would he know who I am? It would be different if my parents were more involved in the community, or if they had been part of the same unit during the war. But neither of my parents, or any of the other adults in my life have ever really talked about him.

"Of course I do." Suna says. "I was there when your mother gave birth to you."

"I...didn't know…" My voice trails off.

"Official Headmaster business, and the fact I know every huntsman in the world to some extent aside, you're the student of Yang Xiao Long, an Arbiter and war hero. That, on top of your heritage and the important role both your parents played in the war makes you a top prospect going forward. All the headmasters have their eyes on you, and the other children of Team RWBY."

"I see." I blush.

"But those are just expectations. I can't speak for Headmaster Azul or Branwen, or even General Schnee, I can only speak for myself. And I WILL be holding you to a much higher standard than your average initiate."

I had been scolded before, more times than I can count. But something about his tone, and the intensity in his eyes, made me feel smaller than I had ever felt before. There was no passion or warmth, just cold, hard, naturalistic reason.

"I understand." I say.

"Good, because you actually came at an opportune time." His voice lightened up. "And I'd hate for her limited time to be spent lecturing you."

"What do you…"

"Nova!" The voice cuts through my heart. My mom runs up and pulls me into a hug. "I was worried sick about you."

"Mom?" My face twists in internal agony.

"I was planning on surprising you at your game." Blake said. "I'm so….so sorry I missed it."

"It's okay." I wrap my arms around her. "You're here now, and that's all that matters." I say as tears fall from my face.

"I had to go undercover to stop some bad guys. I thought I was finished for a while but then they captured me and I had to escape." She explained herself but I didn't care. She wasn't there before but she is now. "I came to you as soon as I could."

"You appeared." I say. "Together we're here. And that's all that matters….somehow." Tears well up in my eyes.

"I promise you, I will stay for a while this time." The tears make me almost believe it. "And I'll never leave you for that long again." I beg every divine entity I can think of to make it so. "Now, let's get you home."

"Wait." I say. "I just….I love you." I say with tears falling down my face.

"I love you too, my sweet starry child." Her words were filled with so much anguish and emotion, that I believed her.

 **AN: So, that's the end of that one-shot. I plan on revisiting this chapter in Nova's life at a later date, after the current arc in RWBYond Home. Next time there'll be more of a plot and an actual external conflict that mirrors Nova's internal conflict.**


End file.
